The Zone. A dangerous and hospitable place. Also known as the 'Zone of Alienation' or the 'Exclusion Zone', this region is a sixty-five kilometer wide area that was contained around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) following 1986. What occurred there was one of the worst nuclear disasters of all time, when reactor number four went into meltdown and destroyed the outer shell of the plant, causing widespread radiation and death across Europe. This 'Zone' has been kept protected and bordered by the Ukranian authorities, but due to the radical decrease in human presence, wildlife has flourished and now it seems to be slowly reclaimed by nature.

Now however the prospect of finding lucrative loot and treasure hunting has led a large surge of opportunists sneaking into The Zone, despite the military's efforts. Not too mention the rumors that persisted of top secret experiments being performed in blackout bunkers and facilities throughout area surrounding Chernobyl and the city of Pripyat.

Still despite these threats that didn't stop people from trying to make a quick buck or two in the chaos. Smuggling in goods and equipment for certain factions now created in The Zone could prove to be lucrative...if you were good or were knowledgeable about what dangers lurked in the shadows, or even in the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a small dilapidated farmhouse along the edge of a huge swamp, a lone man stood guard outside, checking the landscape and ensuring that his friend would be arriving soon. His attire was standard for one who ventured into The Zone. He had a hunting shotgun slung over his shoulder, gas mask around his neck and wearing what was called a 'Sunrise suit', something common for those here in the Zone to wear to protect themselves from both radiation...and bullets.

Sure enough the man's 'friend' could be seen approaching, his attire similar but a mask protecting and covering his face. The two of them waved, speaking quietly among themselves before going inside, closing the door behind them. Inside the house was practically empty, save for a broken down stove, some old mattresses, a chair and a small fire in a bin illuminating light through this dingy and broken down house.

In a corner laying on one of the mattress was another being, this one a human. But unlike the other two whom enter the house who were men, this one...was a woman - a very rare sight to see in the Zone.

The man in the mask spoke first. "She still breathing?" he spoke while setting his bag down beside him, having carried a small amount of supplies within.

"She should be, lucky to be alive after what happened." the 'guard' spoke back, before kneeling down beside her, seeing as her eyes began to stir, slowly awakening.

"Well, there we go. Looks like the medicine's kicking in. Should be up and at'em soon." leaning in closer the 'guard' examined her outfit and body, ensuring that her wounds had healed properly. She had been unconscious for at least a day or so, resting after her 'accident'.

Her body ached and her world was black and fuzzy. The last thing the pilot remembered was running a job she should have turned down and moved onto greener pastures. But she had been desperate for funds and had been told that the job would be easy money. She'd smuggled a few supplies for these guys and they had seemed legit enough for a repeat business. But boy was she wrong. Then again Alyxandra had never been the best judge of character and had a saying like all smugglers did; Never ask what's in the trunk.

Her heavily modded escape pod she used as a ship was supposed to be impervious to detection with the shape and plating she had used to insulate it. Alyx had been in the military before the world had gone to shit and had specialized in stealth and combat flying which was how she had managed to survive the mangled wreck that was her ship now because of her abilities. But now she was among strangers and fighting for her life, thankfully her wounds had been patched (Crudely, But still patched) and she was on the mend. It would only be a matter of time before she would wake.

The two men standing over her were muttering about if she was still alive, their words garbled and fuzzy on her ears but she could hear them and it was rousing her from the drug induced sleep. Medicine? What had they done to her was the first thing she had thought. Alyx had heard rumors of some of the disgusting and inhumane things loners and madmen did in the zone but she had hoped they were only old wives tales to scare off children from ever considering going into the Zone in search of treasure.

"Nnngg---" She moaned trying to move her heavy limbs, thrashing lightly trying to pull herself from the mattress they had laid her in. "Fuu--ck" She whispered again with her arm flopping back into the musty mattress as her body was still weak from the crash. "Z-Zoe...Zoe, Help..." She squeaked trying her best again to sit up now her head rolling from side to side as her blue eyes cracked open and tried to focus on the faces peering down at her.

Noticing the woman beginning to come to and speaking out, both men stepped back partially, as they didn't wish to crowd her or cause her to panic. The painkillers they had given here would still have her a bit woozy and unsteady, but they would to their best to clean up her wound, still only partially patched up since they weren't doctors themselves. Both the 'guard' and the 'gas-mask' fellow only had some basic field medical training and knowledge, so she would still need to see a proper physician soon to avoid infection or radiation poisoning.

With her sitting up and cursing in some pain, the 'guard' leaned in a bit however, hand raised outward to prevent her from rolling around too much. "Easy now, relax. You're safe. Your wounds have not properly healed, move too much and they'll open up again."

Allowing her to open her eyes and adjust, 'guard' handed the woman his canteen still filled with some clean fresh water to drink if she needed it. "You know, you are very much lucky to be alive. Heh, if I wasn't out on patrol as usual, we may have never seen your helicopter go down during the storm." As he waited for her to take the canteen to drink, the 'gas-mask' fellow would walk back towards the door, keeping an eye out for anyone who could have followed him or seen everything. Despite the swamps in The Zone being isolated, they were still a haven for bandits and renegades who certainly would not put it against them fighting some loners for money and gear.

When the hand came down on her shoulder the small pilot flinched and tried to pull away from the kind words. Usually such niceties were followed by a swift slap or a cock jammed in her mouth and sometimes both. So she'd learned to keep away from anything that seemed too good to be true. But as another wave of calm washed over her body thanks to the slow release pain killers she'd been provided by her ‘saviours’ she settled back into the mattress muttering nothings to herself.

”Zoe, where… where are… baby come back… blame it all on me” she repeated over and over again. The first half of her words seemed to make sense almost like she was calling out to her co-pilot or lover but as she drawled on it seemed to morph into a sing song melody. Her hand slowly raised and settled on the elbow of the ‘guard’ and her small fingers dug into his jacket.

”Zoe? Is that you baby? Did you come back for me?” she whispered slurring her words as she started to hallucinate thanks to a reaction she was having to the pain killers. ”April… April… means nothing… I swear”

Both men sat back some...a bit surprised by the strange behavior this woman was giving off, muttering some strange words, something about some girl named Zoe, about a baby or...gods who knows. This only baffled them both, though one of them seemed a bit...upset.

"What in the hell did you use?" the gas-mask asked 'guard', knowing full well perhaps what sort of medication he used on the girl. Certainly not just some over the counter tablets.

"'vat? I just used what was in the medical kit that was stashed, that's all. There was some vial in there for pain medication, so I used that. Was just a syringe"

The gas-mask wearing man just cursed in Russian, before shaking his head. "That was methadone you idiot! That was only to be used for emergencies! She's probably high as a fucking kite right now, no idea when or how it would wear off"

The two then began to shout back and forth between one another, arguing over wasting their precious medicine that was supposed to be for an emergency, rather than this. 'Guard' argued that this was one, but 'Mask' didn't think so, feeling they could have used something else.

But before either of the two could finish their sentences, they paused, a man outside shouting and could hear several others. 'Mask' rushed over to one of the boarded up windows, peeking outside. "Shit...Bandits. At least seven or more..."

Indeed she was as high as a kite, Higher than she had ever been before. It was something to note down in her journal to look back on in the future. But that was if she survived till the damn stuff wore off.

As she watched the two men argue little hallucinations started to crop up in the corners of her visions. Were those... Unicorns? and shooting stars? The room started to swirl and rotate as she thought to have

heard one call out there was an undesirables on the way. At this point she was practically useless there was no way they could hand her a gun and assure themselves she wouldn't shoot one of them or herself.

Her head rolled back and forth as she tried to gather her wits as the methadone pulsed through her veins. Lucky for her 'saviours' she wasn't allergic or having a severe reaction to the drugs in her system.

"Bandits....Schmandits" She called out from the floor with a tinkly laugh. "Ah' could take on more than seven times that amount" The woman started to blab "Wheres'm gun... Gimmi ah' gun"

Her hand shot up into the air "Zoe, Baybeh you sit'bak'an watch'meh dome'm all..."

Alyx started to feel around on the bed for something that resembled a gun, her hand came to rest on a broom that was leaning against the wall. Her fingers gripped the simple shaft and pulled it into herself

as she readied it for the oncoming onslaught. Another shot of pain rushed through her body as she tried to move, her half open wounds causing her to wince. The crash had left her battered and cut up.

Shrapnel had dug itself into her plush body that hadn't been covered by simple leather armours she had picked up over the years.

'Mask' was not impressed with the woman slowly trying to stand up, slurring her words even as she tried to stand up. But seeing her wince in pain was enough for him to shake his head, cursing to himself silently before motioning to 'Guard'. "She's no use to helping us right now, just carry her. And before you ask, you were the one to save her, YOU carry her"

Despite this they had to escape before being trapped in this small farmhouse, surrounded by hostile thieves and murderers wanting their gear. Picking up and hefting the girl over both shoulders, 'Guard' would carry her out towards the back door. As he kicked it open roughly the sounds of gunfire were heard near the front of the house. Seems the other one was keeping the bandits busy, shooting at them to keep them at bay.

The lad hoped that the drugs this girl were on would wear off eventually, at least what was causing her hallucinations. Soon though the smell of the swamps and the thick breeze blowing in their face would have been enough to snap her out of it. Making his way further from the farm house, a few shots rang out through the reeds - one shot striking the Loner in the side, while another struck through the side of his gas mask, shattering the glass as it caused him to fling forward. He dropped Alyx partially into the wet mud and swamp water, a hand clutching at his face where the bullet nearly struck, before turning with his own gun and firing a few rounds from his rifle back into the brush.

Picking her up now and forcing her to walk the two would have to keep going. "C'mon! The church is not far from here"

A few minutes would go by before they reached it - a worn out and abandoned church just here in the middle of the swamp. Pushing through one of the side doors and sitting down on a bench he removed his hood and mask, seeing that this guy that carried Alyx was roughly her age, maybe a little older, as blood was streaming down his face - glass shards having impacted around his eyes. "I can barely see..." he cursed, trying to find a way to patch himself, but knowing they were followed here.

She had no idea where she was and what she was doing, the world around her was a blur and all she wanted to do was collapse into unconsciousness. But there was something inside her that kept her going, that had her hold onto herself. Her survival instinct told her if she was to collapse now there was no guarantee that she would ever wake up again. Rumours had penetrated the zone of cannibals and rapists that had no sense for human life. Those that would do anything to have a warm body lay beside them or dwell inside their stomach. Her eyes squinted as she tried to lock eyes with the enemies

that were descending on their position. But before she could make sense of the swirls and haze that was filling her vision she was swept off her feet and was barrelling towards the back door of the shack they had been held up in, regardless for how short their stay had been it was no longer safe for them.

Panic rattled through her, but with every wave of panic it was washed over with a wave of calm due to the drugs that had been shot into her veins. She could only watch as the world around her rattled about endlessly as she was carried. Everything seemed to be in slow motion till her body was flailing as she had been dropped by the Guardian fellow that had help save her from the mangled wreck of a ship. She slid through the swampy mess and flailed lightly as she tried her best to right herself. Thankfully the masked fellow had grabbed her and tugged her from the sticky mess that could have easily been her grave. The sound of the bullets echoed through the grove they dwelt in, but everything in her body was numb and it all merged into a white noise. She didn't even flinch when he started to fire rounds from his rifle; But it was then they had made it to safety. Or as safe as they were going to be in such a place.

She could feel a small amount of sensation returning; minimal as it was, Alyxandra was still as high as a kite but there was a small amount of lucidity about her now. It was lucky the adrenaline from the running and her natural instincts had fought off the drowsiness of the drugs or the both of them would have been bandit chow.

"Yah shouldn'a doped me'p then.." She slurred as her head rolled in a circle and then snapped straight when she realised the muscles in her neck had started to go limp. "Th' thick guy... Where'd''e end up...Why cann'e help?" She said with a whisper as she looked around for the other body that had been helping them run through the thick of it not too long ago. She hadn't seen what had hapepned to him and a small tinge of guilt throbbed in her mind. Her hands curled around her guts as she could feel a small tug on the stitches that had been dug into her wounds in an veiled attempt at first aid. She couldn't complain too much she could have easily been left for dead in the burning wreck.

She stumbled forward, her arms still coiled around her mid-section. "D'Ya really wan' me t'help ya out, Kiddo?" She muttered "Wha'dya wan'meh t'do...Everythin' is still'a haze, So ah' can' promise ah' can be precise?" She pressed herself into his side, bringing her face in close to his own. The man did look to be around the same age as her and from what she could tell was handsome, you know, for a guy. She pushed her own goggles up into her hair pulling the long threads of brown and green back like a headband so she could get a better look at the shads that had emedded themselves into his face. "Woh- Ya realleh copped ah' good shot t'the face... Mang..." She reached out a gloved hand and pressed his head back into the light squinting as she watched the streams of blood dribble along the contours of his face. "Yea. Tha's gon' leave'a scar buh' ah badass one, S'll be hellevah story t'tell" She chuckled again looking around for the first aid kit that the two men had used to patch her up. Grabbing the man’s bad from the floor and almost falling forward she caught herself and paused for a moment.

"Kid, Y'think you could stop th' world from spinnun?" She joked throwing the bag into the nearby table with a hearty grunt as a plume of dust was tossed into the air. The area wasn't suited for such delicate procedures, but it would have to do for now. If she didn't at least remove the offending shards from the man’s face there was a high chance they would get infected. "Orrigh' Kid... Ya... ready for this?" She said brandishing a pair of silver tweezers and clipping them in the air a few times stepping closer to him. "This migh' sting a lil... So dun move tah much .

The pain on the fella's face was severe, a mixture of blood, dirty and shards of glass from his max imbedded into the side of his face close to his eye. At least it wasn't his good eye, he could still use a rifle. Even with the pain however the young man was more than willing to push past it, trying to reach over to his bag for something as he watched the girl reach for some tweezers, 'clicking' them in the air, but was used to feeling pain before. This hadn't been the first time being shot at before. At least the wound that cut through his side went in and out, easy to patch up by himself as Alyx would try to clear out the glass from his face. "Just do what you can, I'll manage..." Slowly but surely however the painkiller she had been given was wearing off, and while she would begin to feel pain again, she would also be able to think more clearly and not be so clouded. Removing his jacket and patching around his second wound it appeared he had quite a few scars to show - claw marks, knife wounds, and another bullet wound as well. Seems many of those who tried to survive and live in the Zone certainly wouldn't escape completely unharmed.

Seconds later footsteps would be heard near the edge of the clearing close to the church stone fence. Thankfully it wasn't the same armed bandits that had been chasing them - it was the other whom had helped both Alyx and this other fella that she was trying to heal. He rushed over, his rifle in hand as he took cover by the large double door-frame, keeping an eye out. "There's still a few following us. At least eight or so, maybe more..." He paused, looking over to see his face had been hurt. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine if you hand me that bottle there..." he grunted, his hand still outreaching for it. Leaning over the other fellow grabbed hold of the bottle and pulled it out of the bag, revealing it to be an old bottle of vodka. Handing it to him, the mask wearing fella drank a small bit, then even poured it onto his wounds, cursing quietly before setting it down. "By the way...never exchanged names before all that mess. That's Ivan Trodnik, best guide in the entire Zone"

The smell of blood mixing with vodka filled her nostrils as he poured the fine beverage over his wounds. It would have to do as disinfectant for now as they didn't have anything that would do half as good a job as the booze would. It had been a while since the pilot moved with a party of people, preferring to travel light and alone had its benefits. There was no problems with alone time and she got to decide where and when she went, never having to ask someone what their thoughts were was a grand experience in itself.

”Another Alex, Huh? I'm Alyxandra I shit ya not, friends call me Lex, though. Probably best if we stick ta that so we don't mix one another up” She added with a smirk as she worked around his efforts to disinfect his wounds tugging small shards of glass from his cheeks pressing his hair and beanie back so she could see if there were any more shards hiding in his hair line.

It seemed for now, she was stuck with these two gents till she could get back on her feet. But slowly as her lucidity returned something dawned on the pilot. Her face grew white as panic flared up in her body. The ship she had called home was lost to a mangled mess that was the crash site. Her hands shook as she reached for her neck grasping beneath the black and white scarf searching for something. A pendant of great value to her. Her mind glazed over the introductions she was getting now as she started to panic even more.

”Where is it… “ She blurted out grabbing Sasha but the shoulders. ”A necklace with two rings on it and a set of dog tags….where is it? Did you take it?” She wheezed trying to recall if she'd taken the necklace off before the crash and possibly placed it somewhere for safekeeping. While the man tended to his wounds the woman patted her body down looking for the simple ball chain, hoping maybe it had fallen into her scarf or her clothing during the smash.

Sasha was more or less keeping an eye out for those still following them, knowing it would only be a matter of time before the bandits would be upon them. He paused for a moment however and turned back towards the girl, a hand grasping his shoulder as she asked about some kind of 'pendant' of sorts. Some necklace with rings on it and dog tags? The only thing Sasha remembered was finding her among the wreckage, just wearing the clothes she had on, nothing else. If she was wearing something around her neck it could have easily fallen off or got flung from the wreckage or crash site.

"No no...we didn't find anything other than yourself and what you were wearing...Ivan?"

The other shook his head as he took yet another swig quickly from his bottle of alcohol, setting it down as he would do a quick check on his rifle. "Would've remembered something like that. If you were wearing it before you crashed, we didn't see it when we found you. Could be somewhere-"

However that thought was paused when Sasha held his hand up, telling him to be silent as he peered out the side of the doorway. In the distance he could make movement through the brush, black hooded gents wearing balaclavas and ski masks heading this way.

"Shit..." he cursed, checking the magazine on his gun as he pulled it out, ensuring he still had plenty of ammunition in it before pushing it back in. "Look we'll try to help you find it...right now though we need to help each other. Check Ivan's bag, he should have a spare weapon you can borrow. He's got his rifle so he should be fine enough"

Kicking the bag over to Lex as Ivan slowly tried to stand himself up close to a boarded up window, he grabbed his own rifle, loading a fresh magazine in as he pulled the sliding charge back, a fresh round now in the chamber. In the old duffel bag that the man had carried would be a few useful essentials - a map and compass of the local area with a few spots marked or circled, possibly only locations that Ivan could make out or understand. Along with it too was a spare combat knife, a bit old but still sharp enough to cause some damage. Next was a sawed-off double barreled shotgun, perfect for some close range damage but with only two shots. A small box of shells however would suffice that. And lastly was a spare pistol, a small but effective Tokarev TT-33 pistol with an old checkered wooden grips, and a few spare magazines fully loaded. It would have to do for now.

"There's about eight of them...maybe more. No body armor but they're packin'..."

On the opposite side of the zone to the northeast of the swamps lay a small abandoned farmstead, some large run down house and two warehouses, along with a guard tower as well. The place was certainly abandoned looking...but it had some not so nice residents taking up there. A few renegade bandits whom would kidnap Stalkers in the Zone for profit, ransoming them back to their friends and family if they had any. And seems they found a jackpot, some young 'punk' whom was trying to sneak past the border gate around the Zone's southern edge. Kid didn't look no older than 22 or so, his hands tied behind his back with some rope, sitting up against the wall of one of the top floor rooms of the farmhouse. It seemed however that he was not alone, another one whom had been caught trying to enter the Zone somewhere else.

This one was wearing some red windbreaker jacket, a black long sleeve seen underneath, along with a pair of roughed out and torn camo cargo pants, some duct tape holding it together, and finally some brand new hiking boots. It was a surprise that those weren't taken from him as well. He however had a bit of a bruised up face, having been beaten for information moments before and brought back into this 'room' to cool off, hoping they could get what they wanted from him. His eyes scanned the room, seeing the other whom appeared to be unconscious, as he called out. "Hey, yo! You awake man? C'mon answer me man, you there?" he called out, hoping to get a response. At least there was no one else in the room for now, other than some boarded up window and the locked door they couldn't get out.

What the in hells name had happened. One moment Jo was minding his own business and suddenly three guys popped up out of nowhere, smashed him a few times in the face before they dragged him into this godforsaken shed they called a home. His face was more blue then the sky on a dark summer night. The metallic taste of blood still lingered in his mouth no matter how often he had spit. What in the world had he done wrong to deserve this, he wondered. All he was asked was to deliver a package somewhere in a rural area, to not look inside it and then come back. His employer must have forgotten to tell him some lunatics were on the loose. No just let Karma do her job and be a bitch. A soft sigh was released as he began to slowly move his hand up and down in alternating direction in the hope to loosen it. The rope was cutting into his wrists but he had to endure it for now. Sounds of heavy footsteps were heard together with some bonking noises. To prevent further hurt he quickly closed his eyes and hang his head, better play dead then actually wind up dead.

One of his own attackers entered the room after he had pushed open the door. "Cool off and we'll talk later." The guy dropped something in the room. Jo was only able to hear a loud thud as he still had his eyes closed. Whatever was dropped into the room talked. Well talked to him. As soon as Jo was certain his attacker was gone again he lifted his head and opened his eyes. "Yes, I'm awake, keep you're voice down. I don't want those jackasses to come back. Oh nice jacket!" Suddenly he complimented the stranger with a painful smile on his face. He had started to give loosening the rope another shot. The name's Jo, nice to meet you. For as far that this van be called the perfect spot for making friends."

Getting a response back he nodded some, giving a bit of a chuckle while he looked around the room, trying to do the same as the rope around his wrists were a bit loose, probably after giving him a few belts to the face and chest. "Heh, some welcome to the Zone eh?" he shrugged, spitting out near the side as he too had a bit of blood in his mouth. "Name's Gregor...friends just call me Gray. First time here huh?" he asked, though answered anyways. "Me too...though heard stories from my friend, sent a letter to me and decided to come here too, see what was what. Though I thought I would be greeted more with cheap booze and music...not this"

Though deep down Gray knew that their 'guests' would probably be back shortly if they couldn't find a way to make money off of them, probably feed them to the dogs or shoot them both. "Almost..all...most..." he cursed a bit in Russian, trying to slide a hand out from the rope knot around his wrists, finally pulling free. "Got it..."

Looking at the door and hearing some shouts outside, Gray came up with an idea...a terrible idea, but one none the less. "Listen...I'm going to call one of our friends over and to come inside. When I give the signal, you charge forward and knock em down, I'll do the rest" Even though Jo couldn't use his hands, he could still stand up and move around. He waited to see what his thoughts were, Gray feeling it was their best chance, since there weren't any other ways out of the room at that time.

Jo nodded at Gray as he acknowledged his plan. "First time here indeed, I swear I'm gonna kill them. No mercy for the wicked." While waiting Jo kept trying to loosen the rope, however it was tied tightly. The fabric was cutting away layers of skin, his blood staining the already dirty gray rope a deep red. He cursed through his teeth as his only visible eye flicked from the left to the right. "Gray what the hell are they saying? My Russian isn't nearly good enough to follow this.

Large beads of sweat stood on his forehead as he awaited an answer. Somehow his body did something he couldn't comprehend. Somehow he had dislocated his left wrist and the rope slid off. A loud grunt was released as the pain was sudden and sharp. Jo used his last usable hand to set his wrist back, which had earned another loud grunt of pain.

"Let's just say...they're not happy..." Gray wasn't going to wait, he soon began to shout out in Russian as well, using what words he remembered. "Эй, жопы! Я хочу поговорить с тобой!" he would shout, giving a few kicks to the door to get their attention. "Что, ты меня не слышишь? Откройте эту чертову дверь, я хочу поговорить с тобой сейчас!"

Indeed a response did come back. "Cut the bullshit and shut up!" Instead, Gray continued kicking at the door and the wall, soon just shouting here and there, cursing in Russian as finally the door opened. Two men appeared, one wearing a thick trench coat and balaclava to cover his face, the other wielding a pistol, aiming at Gray. "What the hell is wrong with you, 'uh? Some of us are trying to sleep!" one of the bandits spat out, reaching down to grab Gray by the collar of his jacket and pull him up to his feet. Then, he would give a nod and shouted out loudly for Jo to hear.

"NOW!" he cried out, Gray revealing both hands to be free and grasped around the man's neck, surging him forward against one of the walls to try and knock him out, leaving the other with the gun still stunned as to what was happening...

Somehow his body moved as soon as the signal was given. Jo jumped to his feet and moved behind the bandit holding the gun. As he stood with his legs wide it would be a shame to not make any use of it. Jo planted his knee into the guy's crotch from behind while wrapping his left arm around his throat. Immediately he dropped his weight back and pulled the on top of him. Jo used his right arm to lock his left in place and put pressure on the bandit's throat to suffocate him. The bandit in question tried to thrash around, letting go of the gun in an attempt to grab Jo's arm and pull it loose. Somehow Jo's eye seemed distant, almost like he was in a trance. Both of Jo's legs wrapped around the middle of the bandit and were used to put pressure on his stomach so he could force the air out of his body faster. His lock tightened more and more as he slowly strangled the bandit.

Jo loosened his grip a little bit only to immediately tighten it again. Pulling his entire body and weight behind the pull he was able to crush the guy's wind pipe. The bandit stopped thrashing around and went dead silent. Jo threw the guy off him as he rose to his feet to see how Gray was doing.

While Jo just seemed to really take the guy out as his breath finally left him, though he seemed more unconscious after being unable to breathe, Gray was a bit more rugged, just throwing punches all at the Bandit as they would struggle against one another, throwing the Bandit into the wall for a start. Then the thug tried to grab at Gray's neck, only to get shoved back, finally sending a few violent punches into the man's face, breaking his nose as a bit of blood covered his knuckles, finally the thug sliding down to the ground and falling unconscious. Once he was out cold Gray, catching his breath, reached down and pulled something out from the man's pocket, a pack of cigarettes and what looked like a small photograph. "I don't think this...belongs to you"

Stuffing it into his pocket he turns back to Jo, seeing the other finally going dead silent. "Shit...remind me not to piss you off..." he joked, leaning down and picking up the man's pistol, an old M1911A1, along with pulling a magazine or two from his jacket. They were lucky when Jo grabbed hold of that thug he didn't drop the gun or fire off a round...otherwise they'd have to shoot their way out. For now, they still had stealth on their side. "There may be more outside...I think the rest of my stuff is in the basement. Saw some loot down there too, might be worth taking a look" he replied, before leaning out the doorway, gun in hand as he checked both sides, seeing no one approaching. "Stick close to me 'till we find you a piece. We'll get out of this soon enough."

Sasha was more or less keeping an eye out for those still following them, knowing it would only be a matter of time before the bandits would be upon them. He paused for a moment however and turned back towards the girl, a hand grasping his shoulder as she asked about some kind of 'pendant' of sorts. Some necklace with rings on it and dog tags? The only thing Sasha remembered was finding her among the wreckage, just wearing the clothes she had on, nothing else. If she was wearing something around her neck it could have easily fallen off or got flung from the wreckage or crash site.

"No no...we didn't find anything other than yourself and what you were wearing...Ivan?"

The other shook his head as he took yet another swig quickly from his bottle of alcohol, setting it down as he would do a quick check on his rifle. "Would've remembered something like that. If you were wearing it before you crashed, we didn't see it when we found you. Could be somewhere-"

However, that thought was paused when Sasha held his hand up, telling him to be silent as he peered out the side of the doorway. In the distance, he could make movement through the brush, black hooded gents wearing balaclavas and ski masks heading this way.

"Shit..." he cursed, checking the magazine on his gun as he pulled it out, ensuring he still had plenty of ammunition in it before pushing it back in. "Look we'll try to help you find it...right now though we need to help each other. Check Ivan's bag, he should have a spare weapon you can borrow. He's got his rifle so he should be fine enough"

Kicking the bag over to Lex as Ivan slowly tried to stand himself up close to a boarded up window, he grabbed his own rifle, loading a fresh magazine in as he pulled the sliding charge back, a fresh round now in the chamber. In the old duffel bag that the man had carried would be a few useful essentials - a map and compass of the local area with a few spots marked or circled, possibly only locations that Ivan could make out or understand. Along with it too was a spare combat knife, a bit old but still sharp enough to cause some damage. Next was a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun, perfect for some close range damage but with only two shots. A small box of shells, however, would suffice that. And lastly was a spare pistol, a small but effective Tokarev TT-33 pistol with an old checkered wooden grip, and a few spare magazines fully loaded. It would have to do for now.

"There's about eight of them...maybe more. No body armor but they're packin'..."

Hearing that the fact that her precious dog tags and rings may have been lost to the terrors of the waste of the zone didn't help the thick anxiety that welled in the back of her throat. But they were in danger and this was no place for a mental breakdown. They had to be somewhere in the crash site, Right? The tags couldn't have gone too far without someone picking them up and carrying them away? Clearing her mind she tried to focus on the job at hand. There were enemies coming down on them and she had to act quickly or there would be no point to worrying about losing valuables because they would be dead and it would be all for nought.

She reached into Ivan's bag and fished out the pistol, looking it over the gun looked well used but still in a good condition. These two seemed to take good care of their guns. She had heard that most people just used and tossed their guns when they were no longer of any use. She was tempted by the shotgun but due to the lack of bullets and the kick that would come from pulling the trigger, it seemed like the Pistol would suit her better. Regardless, The enemy looked like they were packing heat as Sasha had said but were stupid enough to not wear too much armour. What was their game? Did they think if they could put someone down before they could get a shot off meant they could have more manoeuvrability? Tactics bounced around in her head, a remnant from her military basic training. The haze of the drugs was wearing off again and she could only do so much as the stabbing pain in her side niggled at her senses.

"You two go left, I will get at'm from behind... if we can pincer them and maybe...catch them off-guard, Maybe we can put'em down 'fore they have a chance to get a buckshot off" She turned to look over at her comrades to see what their reaction to her plan was. She usually wasn't the ideas man but right now nothing else was being suggested so she thought her two cents right now was necessary.

Hearing that the fact that her precious dog tags and rings may have been lost to the terrors of the waste of the zone didn't help the thick anxiety that welled in the back of her throat. But they were in danger and this was no place for a mental breakdown. They had to be somewhere in the crash site, Right? The tags couldn't have gone too far without someone picking them up and carrying them away? Clearing her mind she tried to focus on the job at hand. There were enemies coming down on them and she had to act quickly or there would be no point to worrying about losing valuables because they would be dead and it would be all for nought.

She reached into Ivan's bag and fished out the pistol, looking it over the gun looked well used but still in a good condition. These two seemed to take good care of their guns. She had heard that most people just used and tossed their guns when they were no longer of any use. She was tempted by the shotgun but due to the lack of bullets and the kick that would come from pulling the trigger, it seemed like the Pistol would suit her better. Regardless, The enemy looked like they were packing heat as Sasha had said but were stupid enough to not wear too much armour. What was their game? Did they think if they could put someone down before they could get a shot off meant they could have more manoeuvrability? Tactics bounced around in her head, a remnant from her military basic training. The haze of the drugs was wearing off again and she could only do so much as the stabbing pain in her side niggled at her senses.

"You two go left, I will get at'm from behind... if we can pincer them and maybe...catch them off-guard, Maybe we can put'em down 'fore they have a chance to get a buckshot off" She turned to look over at her comrades to see what their reaction to her plan was. She usually wasn't the ideas man but right now nothing else was being suggested so she thought her two cents right now was necessary.

A Guide, a Loner, and a Pilot...'Sasha' - The GuideIvan Trodnik - The Loner'Lex' - The Pilot

The Great Swamps - Abandoned Church

Despite what firefight was going to await them, they would have very little time to come up with a full blown strategy, with Sasha only nodding as he pulled out the magazine from his assault rifle, checking it to ensure it was fully loaded before pushing it back in, sliding the bolt back to ensure a round was loaded. As for Ivan, he sat himself up, rifle in hand too, though kept that shotgun close in case the marauders got inside the church. Hopefully they wouldn't, as they had to precisely take these men down and out fast.

"Just take time with your shots...these guys love to spray all over" He referred to them mostly just opening fire with little to no hesitation or aiming involved. And that would certainly be seen soon in just a few moments. They would allow for 'Lex' to get around these guys and flank, before Sasha nodded to his friend. Quickly they leaned out from their windows and doorway, and began to open fire, several rounds going off as one of the men up front quickly went down, flying back with his weapon being flung into the swampy mud around the church. The others began to duck and cover, firing off rounds that whizzed by them or struck the outer walls of the church. Now was the time for Lex to get around them and fast. Meanwhile they would keep them occupied, Ivan shouting something out in Russian at them before opening up a few more shots, striking another that tried to run for cover.

While Jo just seemed to really take the guy out as his breath finally left him, though he seemed more unconscious after being unable to breathe, Gray was a bit more rugged, just throwing punches all at the Bandit as they would struggle against one another, throwing the Bandit into the wall for a start. Then the thug tried to grab at Gray's neck, only to get shoved back, finally sending a few violent punches into the man's face, breaking his nose as a bit of blood covered his knuckles, finally the thug sliding down to the ground and falling unconscious. Once he was out cold Gray, catching his breath, reached down and pulled something out from the man's pocket, a pack of cigarettes and what looked like a small photograph. "I don't think this...belongs to you"

Stuffing it into his pocket he turns back to Jo, seeing the other finally going dead silent. "Shit...remind me not to piss you off..." he joked, leaning down and picking up the man's pistol, an old M1911A1, along with pulling a magazine or two from his jacket. They were lucky when Jo grabbed hold of that thug he didn't drop the gun or fire off a round...otherwise they'd have to shoot their way out. For now, they still had stealth on their side. "There may be more outside...I think the rest of my stuff is in the basement. Saw some loot down there too, might be worth taking a look" he replied, before leaning out the doorway, gun in hand as he checked both sides, seeing no one approaching. "Stick close to me 'till we find you a piece. We'll get out of this soon enough."

Jo shook his head as if awakening from a daydream. His light brown/yellow eye scanned the room to see if there was any direct danger, only to notice the two knocked out guys on the floor. He snapped out of the trance in time to hear Gray's remark about not wanting to piss Jo off. "Why don't you want to piss me off? I'm just you're regular guy you know." Jo stated that in a very oblivious manner, as if he didn't remember what he had done. He lower himself near the body of the bandit and used his right hand to check the guys pulse. A sharp shock went through him, the thin, nearly invisible hair on his arm stood up straight when he come to realize that the bandit no longer had a beating heart. Quickly he got back to his feed and looked rather startled at Gary.

"He is dead. How in the world did that happen?" As if slowly realizing the situation they were in he quickly said, "As a matter of fact save that for now, let's get moving, seeing you have the gun be my guest and go upfront. Break a leg survival buddy!" Enthusiastically he tapped Gray on the shoulder and grinned with his swollen face. 'I only hope this goes well and we'll be able to get the hell out of here with just a few scratches. I've got a bad feeling...' In silence Jo was thinking, to many things were unknown and thus posed a threat. After just a quick little prayer that the Lord could keep them safe in this forsaken shed he prepared himself for whatever there was to come.

Jo shook his head as if awakening from a daydream. His light brown/yellow eye scanned the room to see if there was any direct danger, only to notice the two knocked out guys on the floor. He snapped out of the trance in time to hear Gray's remark about not wanting to piss Jo off. "Why don't you want to piss me off? I'm just you're regular guy you know." Jo stated that in a very oblivious manner, as if he didn't remember what he had done. He lower himself near the body of the bandit and used his right hand to check the guys pulse. A sharp shock went through him, the thin, nearly invisible hair on his arm stood up straight when he come to realize that the bandit no longer had a beating heart. Quickly he got back to his feed and looked rather startled at Gary.

"He is dead. How in the world did that happen?" As if slowly realizing the situation they were in he quickly said, "As a matter of fact save that for now, let's get moving, seeing you have the gun be my guest and go upfront. Break a leg survival buddy!" Enthusiastically he tapped Gray on the shoulder and grinned with his swollen face. 'I only hope this goes well and we'll be able to get the hell out of here with just a few scratches. I've got a bad feeling...' In silence Jo was thinking, to many things were unknown and thus posed a threat. After just a quick little prayer that the Lord could keep them safe in this forsaken shed he prepared himself for whatever there was to come.

Last Train to Pripyat...Gregor - The HuntsmanJo - Unknown

Dark Valley - Rundown Farmstead

For now Gregor was just focus on both of them getting out of here in one piece, hearing him state about killing the guy but hell, if he was dead, he was dead. No sense on lingering on the thought. "Let's find out gear and get moving..." Slowly walking down the hall with gun in hand, the two would sneak and hopefully not create too much noise from outside, as they soon reached the stairs. Taking their time, he soon saw the open doorway leading to the basement. They could hear another voice, someone muttering to himself or singing perhaps? Maybe just a lone bandit?

Peering down the stairs into the basement of this old house, Gregor was easily able to see tables filled with bags, clothing, weapons and ammunition still being sorted out. Even a crate filled with medical supplies too. Seems these thugs had been kidnapping and holding up newbies for quite some time judging just from the sheer amount of loot.

Carefully, he nodded behind him to Jo, going down the stairs before he walked up right behind the thug, wearing just some black leather jacket and some track pants as he whistled away, a radio in the corner playing to drown out the noise outside. Catching him off guard, Gregor then pushed the gun to the back of his head and smirked some. "Hey fella, don't mind us, we're just taking what's ours back. You say one word, and you die, got it?"

The thug raised both hands up nervously, only nodding as he certainly wasn't going to die over this stuff. "Jo, grab two bags and start filling them up...we're going to need anything we can get...maybe return some of this stuff too"

Jo walked past Gregor and grabbed two large duffel bags. Now the question remained, take as much weight as they can handle or take what is necessary and travel lightly. As his mind kept pondering about that he grabbed a rope and walked to the bandit. "Could you please lower you're arms? I don't want to use force." The bandit shook his head but did as asked for there still was a gun against the back of his head. Jo tied him up tightly and want to the pile of clothes. He took a pair of socks and grabbed a roll of tape, This time with more force, he forced the guy to open his mouth by pressing on the muscles behind the jaw and shoved the pair of socks in his mouth. After taping it close he walked back to the tables.

"Travel light or as much as we can carry?" As Jo waited for an answer he began to put in clothes, ammo, rations, a sleeping bag, medical supplies and other necessities. His eyes fell on some knifes and who would have guessed a pair of hunting knifes. When he picked the weapons up it felt... natural. Just to be on the safe side he also grabbed a Walker P9m and the three clips filled with 19mm rounds. A holster for the knifes, hunting knifes and gun were improvised.

A Guide, a Loner, and a Pilot...'Sasha' - The GuideIvan Trodnik - The Loner'Lex' - The Pilot

The Great Swamps - Abandoned Church

Despite what firefight was going to await them, they would have very little time to come up with a full blown strategy, with Sasha only nodding as he pulled out the magazine from his assault rifle, checking it to ensure it was fully loaded before pushing it back in, sliding the bolt back to ensure a round was loaded. As for Ivan, he sat himself up, rifle in hand too, though kept that shotgun close in case the Marauders got inside the church. Hopefully, they wouldn't, as they had to precisely take these men down and out fast.

"Just take time with your shots...these guys love to spray all over" He referred to them mostly just opening fire with little to no hesitation or aiming involved. And that would certainly be seen soon in just a few moments. They would allow for 'Lex' to get around these guys and flank before Sasha nodded to his friend. Quickly they leant out from their windows and doorway and began to open fire, several rounds going off as one of the men up front quickly went down, flying back with his weapon being flung into the swampy mud around the church. The others began to duck and cover, firing off rounds that whizzed by them or struck the outer walls of the church. Now was the time for Lex to get around them and fast. Meanwhile, they would keep them occupied, Ivan shouting something out in Russian at them before opening up a few more shots, striking another that tried to run for cover.

Lex nodded softly in agreement, Bullets were like a commodity in this day and age for people like them. It wasn't like they could just open fire and hope the bullets did their job of putting down their prey. She had to be tactical and methodical. A few bullets here and there could be used to round up her prey but if she was to run out surely they would put her down faster than an injured mule. She slipped through the back door of the church pulling her blue tinted goggles down over her eyes as the god beams of the sun peeked through the tips of the trees. She hated it when they did that, Always obscuring her vision at the most inopportune times.

She struggled her way between the treeline and around the back of the group that were descending on their location. Her hand cupped her gut again as a sharp pain tugged at the makeshift stitches in her side. It was going to leave a scar but it wouldn't be the first battlefield injury she'd sustained over the years so to her it was just another trophy on her skin. Before moving in the Pilot checked the gun one last time to make sure it wouldn't jam or seize up while she was making her big move. The plan was to get their attention from behind maybe take down one or two with a shot to the leg or arm getting them disarmed. She exhaled and wheezed slightly. It had been a while since she shot a gun that didn't have a guidance system.

Pushing off the rock she was curled against as the group walked past beneath her through the swampy waters she raised the pistol and took aim. The closest masked thug was none the wiser of the bullet he was about to get in the back of his leg. She had hoped that Sasha or Ivan had some kind of silencer when it came to the pistol but beggars couldn't be choosers. She held her breath as she pulled the trigger. A crack punctuated the sound of Sasha and Ivan's bullets causing the larger Marauder to drop down into the mud. Two of his friends that heard the sound of another gun turned to look for the origin of the sound that came from behind them.

"Welcome ta th' zone, Boys" Alyxandra shouted as a maniacal grin washed over her face as she took aim again at the next raider that threatened her and her friends firing off another shot as adrenaline pulsed through her body. The corners of her lips pressed their way into her cheekbones and her teeth gritted together as she remembered what it was like to be behind the gun pulling the trigger instead of being on the other end. The next bullet flew through the air and found its mark lodged in the shoulder of the enemy when she had been aiming for his heart, but it was better than missing. When she was done crippling the group, for now, she moved back for fear of the flurry of bullets that were going to make their way towards her already damaged form.

Alyx hoped it was enough for Ivan and Sasha to get a few good shots off on the now distracted enemies. She had to trust that they'd follow her lead and know when to strike when the iron was hot.

A Guide, a Loner, and a Pilot...'Sasha' - The GuideIvan Trodnik - The Loner'Lex' - The Pilot

The Great Swamps - Abandoned Church

The thugs didn't see what was coming towards them, their focus too heavy for the time on both Ivan and Sasha, whom were still firing a few rounds here and there to keep them distracted, though a few getting quite close. It wasn't until Lex had allowed herself to become visible, did they really get themselves into a shitstorm. The bandits were overwhelmed, one taking a shot right into the shoulder and falling down as the others get killed or duck to avoid being worm food. Both rifles firing from the church were deafening enough to finally show them that they were going to stand their ground and for these crazies to back off and get out of here. That sent the message alright, one shouting out to 'pull back' as they picked up one of their wounded and began to make a mad dash for the thicket and reeds behind them, to resend into the swamps. Once they were out of sight, Sasha waved his arm up for them to cease fire.

It seemed that they had won their little skirmish...for now. This would allow them to take a breather, both Loners taking a deep breath and calling Lex over. "Alright...I think we're in the clear. Search them for any gear or weapons...we could use the ammo" he called out, checking over to Ivan to ensure his wounds were healing. While they indeed patched him up, he would still need to see a doctor, or at least a better medic than Sasha was.

~~~~~

Last Train to Pripyat...Gregor - The HuntsmanJo - Unknown

Dark Valley - Rundown Farmstead

With 'Jo' packing a few bags and grabbing whatever they could, Gregor was just glad they had not been spotted or noticed by anyone outside. He knew fairly well they were outnumbered at least ten, maybe twelve to two...not very good odds. Nevertheless, as long as they kept things quiet they could try and sneak out, maybe make their way to a friendly camp or somewhere they could lay low for awhile. "Just grab whatever you can" he nods, stuffing the M1911 he had into his pants pocket, though in the menage of loot all over the tables and floor he did find a nice holster for his newly found weapon. Sliding the pistol inside while also finding a good hunting shotgun, he grabbed some extra shells, a gas mask with filters, what appeared to be an old map and compass set, and some other food and water.

Stuffing it all into his bag and pockets, they were ready to get out of here. Looking around up the stairwell to ensure no one else was in the house, he walked over, apologizing to the man they had silenced and hit him over the head with the butt of his shotgun, knocking the man out cold. No need for him to shout out to his friends or get loose.

"Alright, let's get out of here..." he whispered, leading up the stairs, waiting for Jo to follow close behind.